and unsling knapsacks, and to throw out a company to protect the right flank. Soon after, by order of Colonel Vance, 2 men were advanced as skirmishers. At about 3 o'clock received a order from General Ransom to advance through the woods and take a position at the edge of the field to the right of the Ninety-sixth Ohio. The enemy were advancing through the field in line of battle, and the regiment opened fire the moment they had gained the designated position. There was no infantry to the right of the Eighty-third. The enemy outflanked our line, and was closing in upon our right, when Captain

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, of General Ransom's staff, ordered me to take the regiment from the right and move it by the left flank to support the center, which was wavering. I asked him, as we were outflanked upon the right, to allow me to change the front of my regiment diagonally to the line of battle, and endeavor to hold my position and protect the right, but he assured me that the last order must be obeyed, and I immediately moved my regiment by the left in good order to the position to which he guided me, but found that the line we were to support, with the exception of a portion of the Chicago Mercantile Battery, had fallen back to the crest of the hill, to which line the regiment also fell back, by order of General Ransom. Here a stand was made, but after a short time were compelled to fall back with the cavalry and artillery over the crest of the hill, where we were supplied with ammunition. Under command of Lieutenant Colonel A. H. Brown, commanding the brigade, my regiment and the Ninety-sixth Ohio changed front perpendicular to the line of battle and advanced about 300 yards to the right of the line and threw forward skirmishers 50 yards, who were immediately engaged, when a line of rebels concealed among the bushes arose not more than 50 yards from the left flank of the line. The line, whose right flank we were endeavoring to protect, was falling back, and our two regiments, under a front, flank, and reverse fire, were of no further service to protect the line, and to avoid being surrounded fell back. An imperfect line was again formed, but soon broken by retreating cavalry. The same attempt was repeated, but with little success. After passing the line of battle of the Nineteenth Corps about 400 men from my own and other regiments were formed in line and moved to the left of the road to support the line of battle. About 8 o'clock the regiment was assembled at division headquarters, and at 10 o'clock, by order of General Cameron, moved in the direction of Pleasant Hill. The loss of the regiment in killed, wounded, and missing was 3 officers and 26 men.

I have the honor to be, captain, your obedient servant,

W. H. BALDWIN,

Lieutenant-Colonel, Commanding.

Lieutenant H. P. AYRES,

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

Numbers 29. Report of Captain Joseph Leonard, Ninety-sixth Ohio Infantry, of engagement at Sabine Cross-Roads.

HDQRS. NINETY-SIXTH REGIMENT OHIO VOL. INFTY., Grand Ecore, La., April 12, 1864.

SIR: I have the honor to report that this regiment, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel A. H. Brown, left Natchitoches at 7.15 a. m., April